1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

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21 February
WESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: In Cdn
First Army’s Br 30 Corps area, 51st Div overcomes
final resistance in Goch.
12th Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s III
Corps area, RCT 39 reverts to 9th Div from attachment
to 2d Div.
In U.S. Third Army’s VIII Corps area, 359th Inf
of 80th Div seizes Strickscheid and Euscheid; 357th,
assisted by aircraft, takes high ground above Lichtenborn,
clears Stalbach, and assists TF Gassman in
capturing Binscheid; 358th clears draw between
Halenbach and Hickeshausen and takes both towns.
CCR, 11th Armd Div, widens breach in West Wall,
seizing Roscheid and reducing pillboxes to NE and
NW. 41st Cav Rcn Sq, detached from 6th Armd
Div, assembles near Lascheid. 6th Armd Div makes
good progress E of the Our: 9th Armd Inf Bn, driving
S and bypassing pillboxes along E bank of river,
seizes Dahnen and Dasburg; 50th Armd Inf Bn
moves E and clears Reipeldingen and Daleiden. In
XII Corps area, 318th Inf of 80th Div clears high
ground S of Mettendorf; 317th is checked by heavy
fire as it attempts to reach heights W of Niehl. 319th
Inf, reinf by 53d Armd Inf Bn of 4th Armd Div,
envelops and destroys enemy in West Wall positions
between Our and Gay Rivers with capture of Roth;
also clears Korperich and Lahr. 385th Inf, 76th Div,
dears additional pillboxes within its zone. 2d Cav
Gp withdraws its task force at Wincheringen to
positions W of the Moselle. In XX Corps area, 10th
Armd Div, against disorganized resistance, drives to
final objective in Saar–Moselle triangle and attacks
toward Kanzem and Wiltingen bridges: CCR clears
Rehlingen, Nittel, Temmels, and Fellerich; CCA
takes Wawern and clears to the Saar to N and E;
CCB enters battle, driving NE on Saarburg, which
it largely clears; attached RCT 376, 94th Div, mops
up to the Saar in Ockfen area. 94th Div ( — ) clears
eastward to the Saar within its zone, between Orscholz
and Saarburg, overrunning a number of
towns and villages. 5th Ranger Bn is detached from
94th Div and attached to TF Polk, whose zone is
extended northward.
6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army’s XV
Corps area, 276th Inf of 10th Div gains about a
third of Forbach as street fighting there continues.
274th and elements of 275th capture Spicheren and
reach heights beyond commanding Saarbruecken
and Stiring Wendel; withstand determined enemy
efforts to regain the strategic heights during next
few days. In VI Corps’ 36th Div sector, RCT 141
is relieved by 9th Zouave Regt, Fr 3d Algerian Inf
Div, in accordance with boundary change directed
on 13 February.
I TALY—15th Army Group: In U.S. Fifth
Army’s IV Corps area, 10th Mtn Div continues to-
[ 22 FEBRUARY 1945 ]
ward crest of M. Torraccia against strong opposition.
Brazilian 1st Div begins attack toward M. Castello
with 1st and 11th Regts, gaining the feature and taking
village of Abetaia.
BURMA—In Br Fourteenth Army’s 4 Corps area,
elements of Ind 17th Div open drive toward Meiktila
from Nyaungu bridgehead.
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army area, XI Corps
successfully concludes operations on Bataan Peninsula
with junction of East Force and South Force S
of Bagac. Casualties: about 50 killed or missing.
Japanese dead total about 200. Small Japanese force
remains in Mt Natib area but it is eventually destroyed.
Corps takes command of 40th Div in
current positions in Zambales Mtns. 40th Div rests
while Japanese positions are being neutralized by air.
IWO JIMA—After preparatory air, naval, and
arty bombardment, VAC attacks N toward Airfield
2 and S toward Mt Suribachi. Progress is slow and
costly; effective tank strength at end of day is about
50%. While clearing northward to positions generally
along phase line O–1, which includes S part
of Airfield 2, assault forces encounter severe opposition
from well-organized enemy positions around
Airfield 2. RCT 21, 3d Mar Div, released as corps
reserve, lands on Beaches Yellow to support attack
on Airfield 2 and is attached to 4th Mar Div. RCT
28, 5th Mar Div, is viciously opposed as it continues
methodical reduction of enemy positions but reaches
base of Mt Suribachi. 5th Mar Div CP opens ashore.
Enemy makes several local counterattacks and repeated
infiltration attempts, night 21–22. Although
Americans control air over Iwo, a few Japanese
planes get through to attack shipping; sink Bismarck
Sea and damage other vessels before being shot
down.
22 February
WESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: In Cdn First
Army’s Cdn 2 Corps area, Moyland, on road to Calcar,
falls to Cdn 2d Div.
12th Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s III Corps
area, 82d A/B Div clears corps sector. In V Corps
area, 2d Ranger Bn is attached to 102d Cav Gp.
In U.S. Third Army’s VIII Corps area, enemy
resistance to corps disintegrates. On 80th Div N
flank, 359th Inf clears its zone and patrols to the
Pruem at Lunebach; 357th quickly overruns Lichtenborn;
358th, reinf by newly formed TF Spiess,
takes Arzfeld, Holzchen, and heights extending
from SW of Heckeshausen to SE of Neurath. 11th
Armd Div gains its final objectives: CCR clears
Eschfeld and Reiff; attacking through Eschfeld after
its capture, CCB pushes to div S boundary,
where contact is made with 6th Armd Div. CCB,
6th Armd Div, takes Irrhausen and Olmscheid.